Part 22 (1/2)
From Tre Croci the beautiful road runs direct to Cortina down a rather steep incline. Although the former means of reaching Cortina from Schluderbach by the high road and through the Ampezzo Thal is the more easily accomplished, none who have taken the road by way of Misurina will regret its greater length because of its greater interest.
SCHLUDERBACH--PLaTZ WIESE--PRAGSER WILDSEE--NIEDERDORF
From Schluderbach, too, there is another road branching northward from the Imperial Road to Niederdorf on the Bruneck-Innichen-Toblach line, leading over the Platz Wiese, upwards of 6500 feet above sea-level.
There is a fine hotel on the Platz Wiese, about two hours from Schluderbach, and it is from thence that one ascends the Durrenstein, 9320 feet. This easily climbed mountain, although not providing much excitement for the expert Alpinist, is one of those which amply reward the climber for the fatigue and trouble of the ascent. As one stands upon the summit one has spread out around on all hands a most astonis.h.i.+ng and magnificent panorama of the Dolomites, as well as of the glaciers and Middle Alps which lie to the north. Amongst the great heights and groups, on a good day plainly visible from the mountain, are those of the Tauern, Ortler, and Adamello, and the beautiful Pragser Thal, with amongst the chief heights the Hohe Gaisl, 10,330 feet; Cadini, 9320 feet; Monte Cristallo, 10,495 feet, with its glacier, and many other giants of the region.
[Sidenote: PRAGSER WILDSEE]
The road from Platz Wiese continues past the little watering-place Alt-Prags to Niederdorf, to reach which occupies about three and a half hours. There is from this road another, branching off and leading past the watering-place of Neu-Prags, with its prettily situated houses and hotels, to the lovely Pragser Lake, nearly 5000 feet above sea-level, and distant from Niederdorf seven and a half miles. Pragser Lake, or the Pragser Wildsee, is one of the most beautiful, secluded, and romantic of all the Alpine lakes, surrounded and sheltered as it is by the mighty walls of the Seekofel, 9220 feet; the Herrstein, 8035 feet; Col de Ricegon, 8770 feet; Hochalpenkopf, 8420 feet, and many other wild and impressive heights. In the olive-green waters of the lake itself the two first-named giants are reflected with wonderful distinctness and beauty; whilst on the slopes of most of the surrounding mountains the silvery, star-like flowers of the edelweiss and the royal blue gentians grow with a luxuriance scarcely equalled in any other part of the Dolomite region. The climate of this Alpine lake is indeed bracing and health-giving, for on the hottest summer day one finds a cool and refres.h.i.+ng air coming down from the mountains and traversing the surface of the lake, whilst in the evening the temperature is not materially lowered, as so often occurs at places having such a considerable alt.i.tude and set amid great peaks, so that one can remain in the open air quite safely, even though lightly clad, until the beautiful Alpine twilight wraps the lake and its sh.o.r.es in a mantle of mysterious beauty, and night seems to descend from the summits of the great peaks around.
No one, however, should think of visiting Pragser Wildsee in the summer season without first bespeaking accommodation at the beautiful hotel situated on the borders of the lake, or they may find themselves compelled (as have been many others before them) to turn their backs upon this lovely spot for lack of accommodation, as this is always crowded with visitors during the months of July, August, and the early part of September. This charming resort is most easily reached from Niederdorf, situated on the Puster Thal railway, one station eastward from Toblach.
CORTINA--FALZAREGO--BUCHENSTEIN.
From Cortina the old Imperial or high road takes one out of the Dolomites to the south-east into Venetian territory to Belluno, an interesting and picturesque old town standing on a hill between the Piave and Ardo, which at this point flow together. The Cathedral, built chiefly by Tullio Lombardo in the early years of the sixteenth century, was unfortunately greatly damaged during the earthquake in 1873; but it has been largely restored, and contains, in addition to many interesting architectural details, some fine altar paintings.
From the summit of the campanile, which is upwards of 200 feet in height, one obtains a most exquisite view of the old town and surrounding country. The Prefecture, in the Piazza del Duomo, is a fine early Renaissance building dating from the end of the fifteenth century, and was originally the Palazzo dei Rettori.
Belluno will shortly be connected by rail with Cortina, and possess a station of its own. The new Dolomite road, however, travels from Cortina in a south-westerly direction to the rock-strewn Falzarego Pa.s.s, 6945 feet, lying in the shadow of the Hexenfels, 8126 feet, whilst to the south-west rises the impressive, snow-covered Marmolada, with the Col di Lana, 8084 feet, in the foreground of the picture.
From this pa.s.s one can ascend the Nuvolau, 8460 feet, from the summit of which there is a panoramic view of the railway and surrounding peaks. At the other end of the pa.s.s the new Dolomite road descends more than a thousand feet into the valley of Andraz, a little, picturesquely situated village from which several interesting excursions can be made, near which lie the ruins of a very ancient castle bearing the same name. Buchenstein, the chief village of the Buchenstein Valley, distant from the end of the pa.s.s some nine miles, is reached by the road from Andraz. There are some excellent inns, and the village is splendidly situated and makes a good centre for holiday makers.
[Ill.u.s.tration: A PEEP OF THE DOLOMITES]
BUCHENSTEIN--CAPRILE--ALLEGHE SEE--ARaBA.
Near it a little road branches off to the south-east, which, leading through Italian territory and crossing a stream, leads to Caprile, just over the Italian frontier, descending on the left side of the Val Cordevole, with fine views of the Val di Livinallongo. The village of Caprile, at the far end of which is the short Venetian column, surmounted by a lion of St. Mark, a relic of the days when the Venetians ruled the district, is a somewhat straggling one, with many of the houses built upon arches. The church is ordinary, although there are some quaint decorations to the organ-loft worth seeing. But, disappointing as is the village itself, its beautiful surroundings, with the truly magnificent prospect of Monte Civetta, and the beautiful Alleghe Lake, tempt one to prolong one's stay.
From Caprile the road leads to the Lake, which lies at the foot of Monte Civetta. The high road, however, which is fairly level, leads first of all to the village of Araba at the foot of the Pordoijoch, 7355 feet.
BRUNECK--ENNEBERG--ARaBA.
On the way to Araba one can also reach, direct from the Puster Thal station, St. Lorenzen, through the wildly beautiful and romantic Enneberg Thal, which forms the shortest route to the middle division of the great Dolomite road. One peculiarity of the Gader or Enneberg Thal, and other similar valleys of the district, is the fact that the peasantry speak neither German nor Italian (although in some valleys the latter language is gradually becoming more used), but the patois known as Ladin, which somewhat resembles the Romanche of the Grisons district, although each valley has certain peculiarities of dialect.
No doubt these latter will in time die out, and German will become the common language of the more German valleys, and Italian of the more Italian.
The carriage-road, which is 45 kilometres (28 miles) in length, is not suitable for motors; it leads past Pedrazes, 4350 feet high, and Corvara, 5110 feet, to Araba. Near Corvara lies the way over the Grodener-Joch, 7010 feet, into the beautiful Grodener Thal, often sung by the poet Walther von der Vogelweide.
WAIDBRUCK--GRoDENER THAL--ARaBA.
The usual starting-point, however, for the latter is Waidbruck, to the south of the Brenner road between Franzenfeste and Bozen. From Waidbruck, 1545 feet, which lies at the head of the Grodener Thal, with the Trostburg, 2040 feet, towering above it, the road goes to St.
Ulrich, 4055 feet, distant eight miles, the chief village in the wide valley, prettily situated and surrounded by tree-clad slopes, beyond which rise some magnificent rocky Dolomite peaks. The church, dating from the end of the eighteenth century, has a beautiful interior, containing some excellent examples of the woodcarving for which the Grodener Thal has for ages been and still is famous.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LANGKOFEL]
[Sidenote: SOME DOLOMITE PEAKS]
From St. Ulrich it climbs upwards through the valley, which at each step becomes more beautiful and more magnificent, to St. Christina, 4685 feet, with its mountain pastures dominated by the huge Langkofel-Joch, 8800 feet, and many other impressive heights, such as Seceda, 8270 feet, Geislerspitzen, 9930 feet, to the north, and the Plattkofel, 9740 feet, to the south; the Stella Group to the south-east, with the Col dalla Pieres, 9055 feet; and the Pitzberg, 6020 feet, Puflatsch, 7140 feet, and the more distant Rosengarten and the Schlern to the south-west.